8th Grade High School Curriculum Fair, March 25th

The annual Curriculum Fair and informational meeting for next year’s freshman class and their parents will be held Monday, March 25, 2013 at Dodge City High School. The informational meeting will begin in the high school auditorium at 7:00 p.m. where parents and incoming students will learn about expectations, curriculum offerings and the enrollment process for next year. The informational meeting will be followed by a Curriculum Fair where representatives from each curriculum area as well as representatives from the various clubs and organizations will be available to answer questions about their activities. For more information on the informational meeting and Curriculum Fair, contact Jacque Feist or Sharon Stuart at DCHS, 227-1611.

SPRING PICTURES AT DCMS!

Lifetouch will be in the DCMS auditorium during conferences on Thursday, February 7th from 12:30 to 7:00 p.m. to take spring pictures. This is a great opportunity for you to have a family picture, picture with friends or an individual picture taken. Dress for the picture is at the discretion of the individual. Picture must be pre-paid at the time the picture is taken. Picture packets will be available in the DCMS office.

DCMS Annual Spelling Bee Winner

In one of the most tense endings to a Dodge City Middle School's spelling bee in recent history, 6th grader Katie Ahern won first place in the DCMS's annual spelling bee! She and 2nd place winner, 8th grader Payson Hatfield went back and forth for quite some time before she got to the winning word "talisman". Congradulations goes to Katie Ahern first place and Payson Hatfield second place for a job well done. Katie is active in book club, drama club, honor choir and plays on a traveling volleyball team. She has participated in several musicals, plays and cabarets and loves to sing, read, and travel. Her parents are Michael and Patricia Ahern and she has a five-year-old sister, Emily.

Family Fitness Night Parent Academy

The DCMS physical education department along with other staff members will be hosting a Family Fitness Night on the evening of January 29th from 6:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. in the DCMS gymnasiums. The goals of Family Fitness Night are to help create a healthy culture at home that will enable families to make smart decisions on diet and exercise. Parents and students will be involved in activities that are engaging, motivating, and fun. Students who attend with their parents will earn a bracelet for a non-uniform day on Wednesday the 30th. We hope to see you all there!! Please be advised that you will not get the non-uniform day unless YOU ARE WITH YOUR OWN PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN.

“The Silent Epidemic”

On Monday, February 4th DCMS will be hosting a Parent Academy entitled “The Silent Epidemic” The Silent Epidemic presentation, provided by Mrs. Tammie West, will be held in the DCMS auditorium starting at 6:00 P.M. Mrs. West’s presentation will focus on helping parents understand the importance of parents helping teens learn about the “The Silent Epidemic”. Mrs. West will talk about what teens face daily and that they, as involved parents, can make a difference in their child’s life. Topics include: 1 The Big Talk!! (2) Help empower your teen to choose the best. (3) Learn about “The Silent Epidemic” teens face daily. (4) Parental involvement can make a difference! Any student attending the Monday, February 4th presentation with their parent will receive a non-uniform day bracelet. Bracelets are to be worn to on Tuesday, February 5th as a part of the non-uniform day award.

Cardinal Award Winners

Recognition plays an important role in developing a positive image within our students. A positive self-image will generate a positive attitude, and that will, in turn, contribute to the creation of a healthier learning environment for the entire school. The “Cardinal” award was initiated by the Student Handbook Committee composed of teachers, parents and an administrator in order to address one of the established goals of the Student Handbook Committee. This goal was to provide opportunity for recognition of excellent student achievement. would like to thank each student individually who are being recognized today for their academic achievements.

DCMS faculty would like to thank our students for caring about the world of learning and admire their desire to achieve knowledge. To be recognized as a recipient of the Cardinal Award students must meet the following qualifications:· Grade Point Average 3.6 - 4.0 in two out of the first three nine-weeks periods· No “U” for conduct on the report card each nine weeks· No more than one “N” on the report card each nine weeks 7· No more than two tardies per nine-week period · No discipline referrals or in or out of school suspension· 95% Attendance

Dodge City Middle School Uniform Transition

This year was a uniform transition year for DCMS students. Dodge City Middle School adopted a uniform policy in 1996. The uniform at that time was khaki and navy pants with white and baby blue polos. Students could also wear navy and white sweatshirts. With the addition of a new middle school, the uniform policy has been revised, allowing blue jeans and eliminating the navy pants. In order to avoid unnecessary expenses for parents, it was decided to continue with the baby blue polo for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year. Board Votes for New Uniform ColorsOn January 14, 2012 the Board of Education voted and approved the transition of a new color polo and sweat shirt. The Board approved change includes the retiring of the light blue polo shirt and the navy blue sweatshirt as second uniform colors. At the end of the 2012 – 2013 school year DCMS will officially retire the navy blue sweatshirts and the light blue polos. Last Year for Light Blue Polos and Navy Blue SweatshirtsThe new colors were decided on by the DCMS Student Council, to replace the light blue polos with red polos and the navy blue sweatshirts with black. The white polos and white sweatshirts will remain the same. Starting February 1st, students can begin wearing their new uniform colors (red polos and black sweatshirts.) However, students can continue to wear their light blue polos and navy blue sweatshirts until the end of the school year.

Student - Led Conferences

On February 6th and 7th all students at DCMS will be scheduled to participate in a student-led conference. In student-led conferences, students will create a portfolio representing work over the past ten weeks. A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that tells the story of his/her growth as a learner. Students will conduct the conferences detailing skills and processes learned, as well as the goals they’ve set to further improve themselves. Part of the portfolio will also include a student’s reading goal, Lexile score and mid-term report. Eight grade portfolios will include Explore results along with a career interest inventory. A post card notification of conference times have been mailed home including a twenty minute blocks of time from 4:00 to 6:00 on Wednesday February 6th and from 12:30 to 7:00 on Thursday February 7th. The student led-conferences have been scheduled through your student’s advisory teacher. There will be a ten minute drop in time before and after your scheduled conference if you need to visit with another teacher. It is a vital and important experience that all students are able to share with parents what they’ve learned. For this reason, we ask that 100 percent of our parents participate in these conferences. We are looking forward to this experience. Thank you for supporting your child’s education in such a meaningful way. If you have any question, please call and speak with your child’s advisory teacher. School will not be in session on Friday, November 8, 2013.

VISION STATEMENT

Dodge City Middle School will foster a culture with independent learning where students can achieve their full potential in academics, personal, physical and moral development in the 21st Century.